8. Helena Bonham Carter Channelled "Old Judy Garland" To Play Marla Singer...
Though she wasn't the original choice for what is arguably her best and most accomplished character to date (that would be Reese Witherspoon, would you believe?), Helena Bonham Carter defined Marla Singer in such a way that it's impossible to imagine anybody else playing the character - it's not so much a performance as it is an "embodiment." In all truth, she probably deserved an Oscar for her turn, but was madly overlooked. How did Bonham Carter get herself into the right frame of mind to play such an elaborately scatty f*ck-up such as Marla, then? She channelled the likes of "old Judy Garland," apparently - which pretty much tells you everything you need to know. Unless you don't know that old Judy Garland was notoriously strung-out, the aftermath of years of drug and alcohol abuse and countless mental break-downs.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
